Foundation Watching Sparrows Point Shutdown

BALTIMORE (AP) — A Chesapeake Bay Foundation attorney says the environmental group is keeping a close eye on the shutdown of the Sparrows Point steel mill outside Baltimore.

Bay foundation attorney Jon Mueller says the environmental group has been seeking a court order to force the mill's owner to post a bond to ensure environmental monitoring will continue if the owner goes out of business.

Financially struggling RG Steel announced last week that it plans to idle Sparrows Point in June and is considering selling the mill. RG Steel spokeswoman Bette Kovach says shutdowns under previous owners have included environmental monitoring. However, Kovach says she does not know what might happen if the Sparrows Point mill is closed for an extended period. She says the discussion is premature at this point.